Glycemic control in diabetes has been shown to delay the onset of, and slow the progression of, associated pathological complications. However, achieving adequate glycemic control using insulin therapy can be difficult. One alternative to insulin therapy is the transplantation of functioning pancreatic islet cells to diabetic subjects, to provide biological insulin replacement. However, transplanted or grafted islet cells encounter immunological rejection, which can limit the clinical usefulness of his method. Microencapsulation of islet cells has been proposed to reduce or avoid immunological rejection of transplanted islet cells. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,964 to Opara. There remains a need, however, for new ways to facilitate the effective implantation of live encapsulated pancreatic islet cells for the treatment of diabetes.